A TAXI driver told a court he pleaded with a man not to set his neighbour on fire.

A TAXI driver told a court he pleaded with a man not to set his neighbour on fire.

Security guard Andrew Nugent, 55, is on trial at Liverpool crown court accused of murdering 42-year-old Stephen Balmer by dousing him with petrol and setting him alight.

Nugent has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Graham Wood QC, prosecuting, told the jury Mr Balmer, a father of three, was an alcoholic who lived alone in a bedsit in Manley Road, Waterloo.

Nugent, who also had a drink problem, lived in the adjoining house, split into bedsits.

On July 15 last year, Nugent and Mr Balmer had been at a pub in Crosby and Mr Balmer left early.

The jury heard that later that evening, Nugent went to Mr Balmer's flat and started arguing.

Mr Wood said Nugent grabbed Mr Balmer around the throat and left, threatening to burn him.

Taxi driver Anthony Meakin, who also lives in Manley Road, told the court he reluctantly agreed to take Nugent to a petrol station, believing Nugent wanted fuel for his van. Mr Meakin said he then brought Nugent back to Manley Road, and Nugent mentioned he had been arguing with Mr Balmer.

He told the court Nugent snatched the petrol can and said he was going to burn someone.

Mr Meakin said: "I went into some kind of shock, I was dumb-struck. I assumed he meant Stephen Balmer.

"I was pleading with him. I thought, I have got to try and do something.

"I heard a muffled explosion, that was quite violent."

He said after the blast he saw Nugent walking across Oxford Road, with his clothes in tatters.

The court heard Nugent was seriously injured in the explosion and spent weeks in hospital.

Nugent denies murder as he claims he had an abnormality of mind at the time, caused by years of heavy drinking.